Takeda Pharmaceuticals is laying off nearly 250 employees at its U.S. headquarters in Cambridge.
The layoffs will begin July 1 this year and continue through 2027, impacting 247 workers, Takeda lead counsel Sonali Das wrote in a March 25 filing with the state. Employers with 50 or more employees are required by law to provide notice to the state of mass layoffs within 60 days.
A Takeda spokesperson told Cambridge Day via email that the company is not doing interviews and referred a reporter to a press release published the same day as the state filing. The release covers a plan to restructure the company that will cost nearly $1 billion this fiscal year with the goal of creating annual returns of roughly $1.3 billion.
The company is encouraging laid-off employees to apply for other jobs with Takeda. “We are committed to supporting employees in impacted roles in multiple ways, including helping identify potential opportunities within Takeda and offering transition resources,” the Takeda spokesperson wrote, pointing out hundreds of open roles listed on the company website.
Takeda is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the U.S and the fifth largest employer in Cambridge, according to the city’s 2025 list of largest employers. It employs 3,291 workers in Cambridge and is the largest biotechnology employer in Massachusetts.
Takeda has announced multiple rounds of layoffs since 2024. Before this round, the company announced it was cutting 243 remote jobs across the country in January. In Cambridge, over 100 workers were laid off in October 2025, when the company ended its cell therapy technology efforts. Since 2024, Takeda has laid off over 1,000 employees based in Cambridge, according to state data.
Founded in Japan in 1781, Takeda established its U.S. company and facilities in Cambridge in 1998. It relocated its headquarters from Deerfield, Ill., to Cambridge at the end of 2019. Its headquarters are at 500 Kendall St. Its incoming CEO, Julie Kim, will be based here when she takes over the top job in June.
Kendall Square Association Executive Director Beth Maloney declined to speak with Cambridge Day about the layoffs. The city’s community development manager, Melissa Peters, declined an interview but emailed a reporter a statement.
“It is our understanding that Takeda is restructuring their organization at a global level and that, unfortunately, this will affect some of its workforce here in Cambridge,” Peters wrote. “However, we are also aware of their stated plans to help impacted employees.”
Takeda is planning to relocate its headquarters to a 600,000-square-foot building at 585 Kendall St. this year to consolidate its presence in Cambridge. As part of that consolidation, it put 450,000 sq. ft. of office space in Cambridge up for sublease earlier this year.
This story is part of a partnership between Cambridge and the Boston University Department of Journalism.
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